Stern botched the launch of The Walking Dead remaster with poor communication and no gameplay footage

Video assets and high-quality screen graphics do not make pinball games good by themselves

X-Men has more creative shots and better flow than Star Wars: Fall of the Empire

The original Walking Dead cabinet has superior dark, grungy art that distinguishes it from family-oriented games

FOMO marketing is creating unhealthy purchasing behavior and rapid hype-buying cycles in the pinball hobby

Game location availability is severely limited for non-urban players, creating forced secondary market purchases

Walking Dead Remaster will be more exciting than Star Wars

Spike 2 has noticeable boot-up delays that create usability friction

Rush is a sleeper hit with excellent rules design by Borg and Davidson

Spike 3 will improve audio quality on Star Wars significantly

Jurassic Park Premium machines currently sell for approximately $7,200

New pinball machines purchased in-box typically lose $2,000 in value when resold within weeks

The pinball hobby is becoming financially riskier for collectors due to sustained depreciation

Stern's current business model of high pricing plus limited LE production is unsustainable for long-term growth

Younger generations are not adopting pinball at rates comparable to current collectors

An Iron Man Pro Vault Edition was listed at $5,500 in Texas but seller increased price by $1,000 after negotiation fell through

A hypothetical Stern Star Wars pinball with $200 price reduction per tier and premier designer would sell out LEs immediately

The pinball community should consolidate around serious collectors and fewer casual investors to stabilize the market

AI-driven market analysis of Pinball Prices data provides more accurate pricing information than traditional market analysis segments

The pinball market will not stabilize unless pricing and production volume strategy changes significantly

Venom is a bad pinball game despite Venom being an excellent Marvel character

Porter theme fits better in pinball than Cuphead

Keith Elwin's games have significantly more gameplay depth than competitors

John Wick pinball game is pretty bad

P3 modular system pricing undermined original affordability value proposition

Most pinball content creators provide universally positive coverage regardless of game quality

Harry Potter trim levels will require removal of features to achieve sub-$10,000 Pro price

Portal pinball will have better market penetration than other video game IP conversions

Flippin' Out Pinball provides best customer service and pricing in industry

Walking Dead remaster will be released later in 2025

Party Pinball Podcast receives hundreds of dollars monthly from Patreon

Jaws has air ball problems on location that reduce in frequency as plastics degrade over time

Ninja Eclipse is surprisingly high-quality for its price point and represents exceptional value

Secondary market pinball prices are correcting downward even as location operator revenue remains strong

Metallica (LE) was the first Limited Edition in an extended period that early buyers could flip for profit

Ninja Eclipse is surprisingly excellent quality for its price point

Haggis Pinball's Australian manufacturing location creates extraordinary supply chain challenges

X-Men will definitely be at Pinball Expo; Metallica will probably be there too

Jack Danger has a perfect design track record of 100/100 with Foo Fighters

Metallica remake will be Spike 3 based with stereo sound upgrade as primary improvement

King Kong is a low-key rumor for Keith Elwin fitting his monster movie theme pattern

Jaws Pro is significantly harder than Jaws Premium due to shark target and gameplay mechanics

Multimorphic games are hard to sell/trade and rarely seen on location or owned by collectors

All current pinball prices are 'fucking crazy' and unsustainably high for LE editions

Flippin Out Pinball provides better customer service and product protection than competitors like Haggis

Secondary pinball market is softening due to anticipation of multiple major releases clustered together

The pinball topper market is dying due to declining machine valuations and high accessory costs ($2000+ for single toppers)

JJP is better positioned than other manufacturers to deliver a high-quality Harry Potter game due to immersive theme execution strength

Pinball Party Podcast started in September 2022 with no initial plan or vision

First podcast episode was removed due to DMCA claim on Jason's own original music

Zach Meany discovered the podcast 3 weeks after publication and encouraged Jason to continue

Deep Dive episode format was directly inspired by Retronauts podcast's successful model

Jason is considering transitioning Pinball Party Podcast to 100% paywall model

Jason's long-term goal is to build a broader podcast network entity beyond pinball, similar to Duck Feed TV or Earwolf

Jason is 41 years old and has lived in Auclair, Wisconsin for most of his life

Jason's comedy style is influenced by George Carlin and Always Sunny in Philadelphia

I started Pinball Party Podcast in September 2022 with no plan, just hit record spontaneously

My first episode got DMCA'd because of my own music, which killed momentum until Zach Meny reached out

I put 20-40 hours into some podcast episodes, with 4 hours just for writing scripts

I'm heavily considering moving my podcast content fully behind a paywall on Patreon

I modeled my deep-dive podcast format on Retronauts' successful video game podcast model

My initial goal for the podcast was to find ways to get discounts on games and offset costs

I aspire to build a podcast network entity beyond pinball, inspired by Earwolf and Duck Feed TV

The best episodes of my podcast are when I'm just being myself authentically

I have a good relationship with Kaneda and we discuss podcast strategy behind the scenes

Stern's customer support told me the air ball issues on Jaws would 'settle down over time' despite the $10,000 price

I played Jaws 4-5 times before listing it for sale, then played it 50-60 more times before selling, losing $1,000 total

Stern invited media personalities to John Wick release event but did not invite independent content creators like myself

Stern reached out via email after my critical podcast episode stating they listen to every show and love it

Metallica Stern remaster is likely coming before Tron based on industry sources

The pinball market is so bad that it's barely affordable to do the hobby and media simultaneously without industry recognition

Spooky Pinball games are experiencing reliability issues on location play despite good home ownership quality

Jaws is not a great location game due to obtuse rules that require extended learning time

Code version .88 was crucial and included ability to skip video modes

Air ball issues on Jaws are very common across machines

Playing Jaws intensively caused tendonitis pain rated at 10 severity

Jaws ranks second in Jason's Keith Elwin personal ranking after Jurassic Park

Jaws bounty system is similar to Jurassic Park's paddocks but with added complexity

Travis Meary has produced helpful tutorial videos for Jaws covering .87/.88 code

Jason is actively hunting for a Lord of the Rings machine in specific playfield printing condition to create custom pin sound mix

The Q prototype game is one of approximately 6 prototypes ever made and never went to production

Modern pinball games of the last 10 years are better overall than 1990s games

Pinball machine play count tracking is inaccurate even on Spike 2 platform machines

Pinball appeals primarily to engineer and programmer personality types

Black Knight Sword of Rage Pro is the superior version compared to Premium

Expression Lights are an essential upgrade making Foo Fighters Premium Edition 'complete'

American Pinball's design strategy reflects outdated thinking about original IP viability in modern market

Pulp Fiction's mono audio is adequate but stereo would noticeably improve drum/hi-hat spatial separation for musicians

Foo Fighters Premium is the favorite modern Stern game (within Spike 2 generation) for Jason

ZapCon has several hundred pinball machines and is smaller/more community-focused than TPF or California Extreme

Jason scored 90 million points on Fun House at District 82, surpassing Raymond Davis's 45 million

Control responsiveness is the most critical factor in game enjoyment across all game types (video games, basketball, pinball)

Chicago Gaming Company's remakes (Attack from Mars, Medieval Madness) have noticeable flipper lag compared to originals

Multimorphic's full backbox video implementation in Princess Bride represents the gold standard for modern pinball design

Jason would prioritize the Standard edition Multimorphic Princess Bride ($11,500) over Collector's ($13,750) due to cosmetic-only differences

Lord of the Rings LE machines sold for approximately $13,200-13,500 in early 2023 and are now selling for around $11,500

Stern is increasing Black Knight: Sword of Rage topper price from $400-500 to $1,500

Secondary market toppers previously traded at $2,500-3,000 before Stern's new pricing

Secondary market pricing will eventually stabilize and may even drop below pre-COVID norms due to Stern's remake strategy and new facility demand

Stern's strategy of simultaneously targeting home, arcade, and collector markets without clear positioning is ineffective

Jason cancelled his plans to attend Pinball Expo to prioritize work-life balance and visit Door County instead

Stern Star Trek Pro was Jason's first pinball machine purchase at approximately $4,200

Iron Man's custom audio mix with AC/DC additions is hosted on Pinside by Jason under code version 1.86 Vault Edition

Lord of the Rings theme and Shire aesthetic have deep personal meaning to Jason related to mindfulness and letting go of obsession

Jason has owned Lord of the Rings multiple times and maintains a personal list of games never to repurchase

Difficulty in pinball games can be positive because it prevents boredom through increased challenge

Jason from Pinball Party has left Triple Pinball Network to produce content independently with no reported conflict

Jason from Kaneda's Pinball Podcasts had the top qualifying score on Sky Jump with 129,260 points

Used Premium pinball machines are currently priced around $9,000 with losses of $500+ expected on new purchases

New Pro machines start around $6,000 in the used market

Jaws will be coming sometime from Keith Elwin

There may be a rumored Spike 3 next year

Electric Bat Arcade has launched a podcast featuring Rachel, Cale, and Bob

Most people met through pinball trading and community are not really happy

Cale placed first at a tournament last weekend

The pinball community exists as a small, isolated group with no mainstream awareness

Bond 60th Anniversary is boring after one game despite high community expectations

TMNT LE is the standout game at Lit Pinball Bar despite playfield ergonomics issues

Foo Fighters expression lights make a world of difference in game quality

Jersey Jack has superior audio engineering compared to Stern

TMNT inner ramp timing is crucial and difficult to master

Centaur Revisited maintains the original black, white, and red playfield color scheme

Venom pinball will be revealed at Comic-Con on July 20-23

Venom is one of the best supervillains of all time, behind only Lex Luthor and the Joker

Jurassic Park is the 30th anniversary in 2023 and would be a good candidate for re-theme

Metallica has a lot of teeth/skull imagery on the playfield

Comic-Con is much larger than pinball and encompasses video games, comics, movies, and MCU/DCU content

Stern Pinball ignores customer support requests until customers abandon their machines and sell out of frustration

Foo Fighters Premium's upper playfield is comparatively large and slow-paced compared to Pro version

Godzilla Pro version provides superior shot visibility and timing for the destruction jackpot compared to Premium

Godzilla Premium's building animation during multiball creates unreliable ball routing requiring left flipper tip accuracy

Jason plans to hold Foo Fighters Premium at least until Expression Lights kit is available for installation

Seller dishonesty in high-value pinball machine transactions is more common than Jason expected based on community feedback

Foo Fighters Pinball has the best or tied-for-best first impression Jason has experienced among pinball games

Foo Fighters code version 0.93 feels more complete than James Bond at launch

The upper playfield on Foo Fighters Premium is worth the price premium over Pro

The UFO captive ball shot on Foo Fighters builds spot-shot meter that can be used in modes to skip shots or achieve quick completion

Foo Fighters has hidden surprises including a Bot Frenzy mode

Jason prefers Foo Fighters Pinball to Godzilla Pinball

Flippin' Out Pinball delivered Jason's Foo Fighters Premium without issues

The combo system on Foo Fighters is forgiving with generous time windows and allows multiple hits before reset

Current average pinball machine price is around $8,000

Godfather pinball at $15,000 represents significantly better value than Bond 60th anniversary game

Prices continuing to rise will force him to exit the pinball hobby entirely

The pinball market is currently a buyer's market

Pulp Fiction pinball features single playfield level with inline drops and magnetic elements

He has backed out of multiple pinball purchase deals, most recently with Pinball Obsessed on Metallica Pro

Rush pinball was his favorite game of the previous year

This is an exciting time for pinball with multiple major game announcements happening weekly

Secondary market FOMO on used pinball machines is worse than new release FOMO from limited editions.

A Jurassic Park Premium was listed on the secondary market at $10,000 with stock configuration.

The INDISC tournament achieved a record 15,000 concurrent Twitch viewers.

Poster-based sideart is the better aesthetic choice for heavily-franchised games like Bond compared to single character artwork.

Carl D'Angelo recently achieved Twitch partner status.

Deadpool Pro MSRP is between $6,700 and just over $7,000

Jurassic Park Premium MSRP is between $8,700 and $9,400, typically around $8,800

Color DMD mods add $400-500 value to pre-LCD machines

Art blades are a valuable mod on LCD era machines worth approximately $100 installed

Pat Lawler retired from Jersey Jack Pinball

Alien pinball is no longer #1 on Pinside rankings

Tanner Walters built a fully functional acrylic pinball machine for educational purposes

Joel Engelberth hosts Just Another Pinball Podcast and co-hosts Triple Drain Podcast

Jason previously completed a full Adams Family playfield and cabinet rebuild

The beacon light motor still functioned after fire damage

Jason will need to address fliptronics board issues affecting right flipper

MDF swelling from water damage is causing gaps of 3/16ths of an inch

Straight Down the Middle reviews significantly influence Pro vs Premium tier purchasing decisions among collectors.

Pinball Party Podcast is moving exclusively to the Pinball Network after Episode 5.

James Bond 007 is designed by George Gomez based on visible playfield ramp signatures

Stern Electronics was a separate company that manufactured arcade video games and pinball from 1977-1985

James Bond 007 will begin shipping end of September or early October 2022

James Bond 007 premium model features an active jetpack mechanic with James Bond figure while pro model uses static 2D plastic

Final Round Pinball Podcast callout of Pinball Party Podcast directly inspired Jason to create his show as competition

Lord of the Rings is the best-themed pinball machine (11/10, only The Matrix comes close at 10/10)

Lord of the Rings default audio is compressed and poor quality (6/10) without Pin Sound Plus

Lord of the Rings gameplay and rules depth warrant 10/10 ratings

Long game length is the primary reason Jason cycles through selling and rebuying Lord of the Rings

The machine had been on commercial vendor route until 2003, then sat unused for 15+ years

Rat damage destroyed approximately 90% of electrical wiring, particularly the secondary transformer harness

All circuit boards powered on successfully on first power-up despite extensive rat damage

Marco playfield drilling was nearly perfect with only 2-3 holes requiring minor adjustment

The angled aluminum wedge mod in the swamp trough is the best gameplay improvement mod for Addams Family

Approximately 85-90% of parts sourced from three vendors: Pinball Life, Planetary Pinball, and Marco Specialties

Jason performed similar speaker cabinet work on Adams Family restoration

Jason has invested at least 250 hours and $2,000+ into the Addams Family restoration

Addams Family restoration is more complex than Centaur restoration

No aftermarket wire harness exists for Addams Family pinball machines

A damaged playfield can be salvaged and sold for approximately $100-200

Jason (Black Knight owner) reports the machine 'has never played and looked this good' after hardtop installation

Black Knight ramps measure 25,000ths thick while hardtop is 30,000ths thick, creating a 5,000ths gap

Original Black Knight playfield came with bare maple on the out lanes

NAP Arcade Facebook group provides more civilized community discussion than Pinside due to real-name accountability

TNA performs exceptionally well on location at pinball venue operators

Scott Benski said early TNA production estimates ranged from 200-400 units before public betting

The machine owner Jason made code modifications to Metallica